BlackBerry DTEK60 vs BlackBerry DTEK50: What's the difference?

BlackBerry has been shifting over to Android, first launching the Priv slider, an innovative handset that offered a lot of BlackBerry and a lot of Android. The DTEK50 followed, a mid-range spec device, with the new DTEK60 fitting into a higher tier.

Both offer BlackBerry's take on Android, with added security functions, rapid patching and a few nice tweaks through the BlackBerry launcher and Hub.

This is how the BlackBerry DTEK60 and DTEK50 compare, as we run down the essential hardware specs.

BlackBerry DTEK60 vs BlackBerry DTEK50: Design and build

Toughened glass vs plastic

The DTEK60 is larger, but slimmer

DTEK60 features a fingerprint scanner

BlackBerry is moving on from building its own phones and focusing on being a secure software licensing company instead, hence both the DTEK50 and DTEK60 are build by TCL. If they look familiar, that's because that's you'll have seen similar handsets badged as Alcatel, with the DTEK60 looking like an Alcatel Idol 4S and the DTEK50 the Alcatel Idol 4.

The DTEK60 is the larger device measuring 153.9 x 75.4 x 7mm compared to the 147 x 72.5 x 7.4mm of the DTEK50. There's a 30g difference in weight, with the DTEK60 coming in at 165g and the DTEK50 at 135g.

They offer a similar looking design, with a nice slim build. There's an aluminium frame sitting at the core. The DTEK60 gets itself a toughened glass rear, where the DTEK50 has to settle for plastic.

There's also the addition of a fingerprint scanner on the rear of the DTEK60, meaning fast and convenient unlocking with a tap.

BlackBerry DTEK60 vs BlackBerry DTEK50: Display

DTEK60: 5.5-inch, Quad HD display

DTEK50: 5.2-inch, Full HD display

It's in the display where things are really different and the DTEK60 asserts itself in more of a flagship position.

The DTEK60 has a 5.5-inch display with a 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution, resulting in 534ppi. That means it has the big screen advantage, with loads of space to view and read. This makes this the largest BlackBerry display currently available.

The DTEK50 is smaller at 5.2 inches, settling for a 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution. That means there's a lower 424ppi, meaning that the DTEK60 should look better than the 50 in all situations: it has a greater resolution and it packs those pixels in more tightly.

BlackBerry DTEK60 vs BlackBerry DTEK50: Hardware power

DTEK60: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, 4GB RAM, 32GB storage + microSD

DTEK50: Qualcomm Snapdragon 617, 3GB RAM, 16GB storage + microSD

The story of the display is reflected in the story of the internal hardware too.

The DTEK60 carries a hardware load-out that's familiar from flagship devices, using a powerful Snapdragon 820 chipset with 4GB of RAM. There's double the storage at 32GB, which can be expanded using microSD.

The DTEK50 offers a mid-range chipset, so there's less power on offer than its bigger brother, and less RAM at 3GB. Storage also takes a hit, dropping down to 16GB, although it also supports microSD, so that might not be a problem for you.

Given the difference in hardware, we'd fully expect the DTEK60 to be the faster device in everyday use and offer a smoother experience.

BlackBerry DTEK60 vs BlackBerry DTEK50: Battery life

The DTEK60, along with offering those increased hardware specs, also offers a larger battery. The bump up to 3000mAh gives the DTEK60 day-long use, with BlackBerry reporting a talk time of 26 hours.

The DTEK50, by comparison, sees itself with 17 hours of talk time.

If endurance matters, then go with the DTEK60.

BlackBerry DTEK60 vs BlackBerry DTEK50: Cameras

DTEK60: 21-megapixel rear, 8-megapixel front

DTEK50: 13-megapxiel rear, 8-megapixel front

Fitting the flagship vs mid-range positions that these BlackBerry devices occupy, there's a 21-megapixel camera on the rear of the DTEK60, that offers 4K video capture.

This sits in comparison to a 13-megapixel camera on the rear of the DTEK50 which settles for 1080p video capture.

Both offer an 8-megapixel front-facing camera, with a selfie flash.

BlackBerry DTEK60 vs BlackBerry DTEK50: Price

DTEK60: £475

DTEK50: £275

The difference in price really shows the difference in positioning of these two handsets, with a full £200 between them.

However, the DTEK60 is likely to be the better performer in all areas. If you're after a phone for irregular use, then the cheaper DTEK50 might fit that bill, but if you're a power user, you'll want the DTEK60.